June 1955 made by the Commission on Intergovernmental Relations: I quote from the report: The Commission recommends that legislative action be taken to limit Federal grants-in-aid in behalf of vocational education to subjects vested with a clear and special national interest and to establish new categories of Federal grants only to stimulate forms of training especially important to the national interest. It is further recommended that existing grants not meeting these criteria be eliminated after a reasonable period of time. The reason for including this particular portion of the report is because of its reference to national interest matters. Certainly our study has shown that maritime training activities clearly fall within that category in view of the fact that all graduates of the State and Federal academies definitely are forming an officer nucleus for not only peacetime but for time of emergency as well, many of them going into the Reserve force of the Navy as well as taking their place of maritime ships. Also, I would like to read into the record a resolution which was adopted by the National Propeller Club of the United States at its New Orleans conference, October 9 through October 12, 1955. The resolution as adopted is to the effect that The Propeller Club of the United States has observed with deep concern the approaching dearth of well-trained merchant marine officers, and therefore strongly recommends that the Federal Government establish a fixed policy et continued financial support and assistance to the United States Merchat: Marine Academy at Kings Point, to the State maritime academies and colleges. and that they be given a definite and fixed status. I also at this point will include and make a part of the record the reply given by the Massachusetts Maritime Academy to the questionnaire that was submitted to them so that this may also be made a part of the official record. (The document referred to above is as follows:) ANSWERS TO STATE SCHOOL QUESTIONNAIRE 1. The Massachusetts Maritime Academy was established in 1891 as the State nautical school in accordance with a Federal statute enacted in 1874. T first class reported in 1892 and was graduated in 1894. The first training ste was the ex-Navy gunboat Enterprise. The latter was replaced in 1909 by the ex-Navy gunboat Ranger (name changed to Nantucket in 1919). The Nantucket was condemned in 1942. During the years 1942 to 1947 training ships wer furnished for the cruises by the Maritime Commission. In 1948 the Navy turned over the ex-Navy gunboat Charleston to the academy as a training shin This ship was built in 1936 as one of the last two large Navy gunboats to be built. The other one was lost during World War II. The State nautical school was under the Federal supervision of the Navy from its establishment until 1942 when it was transferred to the Maritime Co mission by Executive order. Up until World War I its superintendents and part of the instructors were furnished by the Navy as a regular tour of active duty. During World War I the Navy Department withdrew the instructors and instituted the policy of furnishing retired naval officers as superintenden:s After transfer of Federal supervision to the Maritime Commission three of the superintendents were Naval Reserve officers. The academy has been under the direction of a board of commissioners appointed by the Governor, and 1930 was placed under the State department of education. Up until World War II, the Massachusetts and New York State Nautical Schools were the only east coast schools where prospective merchant marine officers received a 2-year specialized education, with training cruises. The graduates of the New York and Massachusetts State Nautical Scho served in many capacities aboard the auxiliary ships that participated in the Spanish-American War. In World War I, and at the outbreak of World War I their graduates, plus those of the California Nautical School, were the only ones available to the Navy and the merchant marine-other than graduates of the United States Naval Academy and United States Coast Gurd Academy-with a high degree of specialized training. Naturally these graduates formed the backbone of the merchant marine and naval auxiliaries until the Maine and United States Merchant Marine Academy graduates were available in World War II. There were graduates of this academy who died at sea during World War I, and who died at sea during World War II. With the possible exception of New York, no other nautical school's graduates suffered anything like these casualties. The graduates of all 5 schools participated in the Korean action to approximately an equal extent, most of the younger graduates going on active duty in the Navy for 2 or more years, and many of the older ones. 2. Competitive examinations are held in Boston the latter part of February or first part of March each year. These examinations are in mathematics, English, physics, and aptitude. Those standing within the first 100-there are usually 200 to 300 who take the examinations—are interviewed by the board of commissioners, and the candidates selected from them. Their high school or secondary school records are examined, and those with poor or mediocre records are not considered. In the event that a candidate has not been able to take the examination, but has been accepted by a Massachusetts college in a course leading to a B. S. degree, he is considered. The requirement that a student be a graduate of a high school or secondary school was instituted by this academy in 1919. As far as is known, no other State required more than a grade-school education for entrance up until World War II, when the Maritime Commission assumed the Federal supervision. 3. Application form attached. 4. Those who are enrolled by the Navy sign non-Communist or loyalty oaths. Since the others know or would soon learn that the academy could not prosecute those who falsely signed the oaths, signing theses oaths would have little purpose. 5. This academy is not accredited since it does not belong to the Northeastern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. Upon submission of its curricula to the State board of collegiate authority in 1946 that board recommended to the State legislature that an act be passed, approving the granting of B. S. degrees by this academy. This was done. The United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare approved our degrees for permanent commissions in the Armed Forces almost immediately after President Eisenhower issued his Executive order, shortly after the commencement of his administration, stating that in the future no permanent commissions in the Armed Forces were to be granted unless the individual held a degree from a college approved by the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. The Massachusetts Bar Association has recognized our degrees. Also all industries heard from to date have accepted it. The only difficulty experienced so far by graduates has been in entering law school in accredited colleges outside of the States. They may also have trouble entering graduate schools in accredited colleges. The shipping companies are unconcerned about the graduates having any type of degree. The Navy accepts our degrees. 6. The length of the course is 36 months. An examination of our schedule will show that, excluding the cruises, but including naval science, the seamanship graduates receive 138 semester hours and the engineering students 144 semester hours. These greatly exceed the 120 semester hours minimum for a baccalaureate degree. 7. California and Maine apparently have the same length of course. New York State Maritime College gives a 4-year course. The United States Merchant Marine Academy has 3 years at the academy and 1 year at sea. While the course at this academy can be termed "an accelerated course," it is felt that it is sufficient. Any extension of the course would result in increased expenditure both for the student and the taxpayer. This extra expenditure would not be compensated for by the need of additional courses or by expanding the present ones. Engineering laboratory, U. S. T. S. Charleston consists of the following: 1. Boilerroom: Completely equipped modern boilerroom with two highpressure B. and W. express tube boilers and all necessary auxiliary equip ment. Two modern boiler water-test cabinets and two CO2 recorders are installed for use by cadets. 2. Main engineroom: Has 2 modern cross compound turbines of 3,100 horsepower each and all necessary auxiliaries. An emergency diesel generator is also installed-two modern P. air compressors. 3. Auxiliary engineroom has 1. 2 turbine-driven generators of 440 volts, 3-phase alternating current 2. Griscom Russell evaporators 3. Modern a. c. switchboard 4. Modern Sperry Mark XI, gyrocompass 5. Modern Sperry Mark XII, gyrocompass 4. Proposed machine shop on dock will include 1. 8 bench lathes 2. 1 shaper 3. 1 drill press 4. 1 power hacksaw 5. 2 bench grinders 6. 1 portable welder Above equipment is on hand and needs to be installed. 5. Proposed engineering lab on dock will include 1. 5 diesel engines 2. 3 steam turbines 3. 3 reciprocating steam engines 4. 8 pumps (all types) 5. 3 refrigerating compressors 6. 2 air compressors 6. The U. S. T. S. Charleston includes the following machine-shop facilities1 18-inch lathe 2 radial drill presses 3 bench grinders 1 power hacksaw 1 milling machine 3 arc welders 2 acetylene burning torches 2 9-inch lathes All of the above equipment is in the possession of the academy. The training ship has a Navy surface search radar installed on board with a console in the chart house and a plan position indicator on the bridge. It also had a new Bludworth radio direction finder installed in 1953. There is also a recently installed radio auto alarm. It does not have loran or automatie pilot with course recorder, but does have an operative Navy dead-reckoning tracer installed. During the shipyard overhaul each year the first- and secondclass seamanship groups are sent to New York where they obtain certificates in gyro, loran, and radar at the Sperry school. This is on a voluntary basis but only 2 or 3 in each class fail to attend this school. The academy possesses five 18-foot Cape Cod knockabouts (sailboats), four foot whaleboats, equipped with oars and sails, two 26-foot motor whaleboats with diesel engines, one 10-foot dinghy, and one 10-foot skiff. The training ship has 2 gasoline-engine 135-passenger metal lifeboats which are handled by gravity davits. There is a display board with all the commonly used knots and splices mounted thereon. Plans are now being prepared to erect a new building with sufficient room to house all of the engineering equipment to be transferred from the Hyannis engineering laboratory. All of the equipment now at Buzzards Bay and on the training ship is being utilized for training purposes. 8. Between Buzzards Bay and Hyannis, the academy possesses over 12,00 books in its library. This was one of the requirements of the board of collegiate authority before authorizing the granting of the degree. Those volumes which might be needed have been and are continuing to be transferred to Buzzards Bay As soon as additional space is provided, the remainder of the books at Hyants will be transferred. Not much use is made of the library except those books, mostly fictional, taken on the cruises. 9. It is the consensus of opinion of the officers of this academy that student training abroad schoolships is superior in most respects to that of training aboard commercial ships. On schoolships the staff is carefully selected of officers who are familiar with instruction in maritime matters. They are under strict supervision as to the adequacy of the training. For the seamanst? classes, nagivation exercises are conducted everyday at sea, engineering watch are stood under the strict supervision of officer instructors. On commervea. ships the quality of the instruction depends upon the interest which the ships officers take in the student. There is always a tendency for the ship's offer to turn over routine recordkeeping to the students, and this greatly interferes with their training. 10. Since some of our students have service at sea prior to entering the academy, the results of this prior training at sea have been observed at first hand. It seems to have aided some, but not the others. It seems that those who have had a year of college are far superior students than those who have spent 6 months to a year at sea. In view of the union requirements it would seem that it would be quite difficult to require that candidates serve at sea before entering the academy. 11. A 2-semester-hour course is to be started during summer semester of 1956 for all engineering cadets using books and visual aids recommended by AEC. Also field trips will be made to Science Park Museum in Boston for further study on this subject. 12. It is not believed that any of the training given at this academy is unique. All of it is considered valuable. The staff here has been carefully selected and those who have not come up to high standards have been eliminated. The positions are much sought after because of its location and reasonable pay. 13. We have no means of determining how many officers should be turned out each year. However, all of our graduates were employed this year (practically all at sea) within a month of graduation and this year is no exception. That indicates that there is a need for more officers since our graduation date is the latest of any of the maritime schools. The Maritime Administration has stated that there is a need for 2,000 new officers a year. The Coast Guard has stated that they are issuing about 2,000 new licenses each year of which about 450 are to graduates of the State and Federal maritime schools. This means that about 1,500 new licenses are being issued each year to men from the ranks. We believe that is too large a proportion of men who have only had a few weeks of school in maritime matters. It is contrary to the law passed by the Congress in 1874, setting up the State nautical schools, which was aimed at avoiding just this. There is no reason to believe that the size of our merchant marine will be altered in the next 10 years. 14. As soon as the new dormitory is completed, about 1957, this academy could double the number of students without greatly increasing its facilities. The dormitory at Hyannis which can house 200 students and the classroom building will be available for a number of years. Also the Marine Biological Laboratory dormitory at Woods Hole is not used except during the summer. This will hold 500 students. If the Maritime Administration would furnish a ship to house these 500 students during the summer months, this academy could, with expansion of the staff and equipment, handle that additional number of students, since there are classrooms there that can also be used. During World War II the training period was reduced to 18 months. However, it is not practicable to grant degrees in this limited time. On the other hand seamen and oilers only go to school 1 month to obtain their licenses. If it is a question of obtaining licenses only, the length of the course could probably be reduced to 1 year. 15. 1949, 17; 1950, 6; 1951, 4; 1953, 8; 1954, 8; 1955, 14. Taken as an average of total students receiving subsidy the percentage of those disenrolled averages 3 percent. The following figures for each year are computed by 3 percent of actual Federal Government money to academy. The costs for 1955 have not, as yet, been established. 1949 1950 1951 $3, 668. 6295 | 1952- $4,472. 6406 3, 872. 3010 3,975. 7041 15. To reduce the incidence of failures and resignations, the academy has tried to present to potential students a realistic picture of their training and the benefits of a maritime career, a more careful selection of candidates, a maintenance of current and up-to-date knowledge on the part of the instructors at the academy. |